Kitchen Hacks: 8 Ways To Save Your Time & Effort

We live in a world where everyone’s in a rush. It’s either running to a meeting, or getting your kids ready for school or worst still the mundane task of what to cook in the evening.

Fear not, we at BetterButter are here to help. In our continous series on how to make your lives simpler and easier, we present you with some fabulous kitchen hacks to make your day seem just a little more relaxed.

1. PEEL APPEAL
i. Garlic – Separate the cloves from the bulb and give them a whack with a side of the knife or just chop off the head and tail and microwave for a few seconds, the skin will be peel off easily.

ii. Ginger – Peel with a spoon, the thin papery skin comes off easily. Cut 1-inch size pieces and store them away in zip-lock pouches. Grate over the soups/stews as required.

2. JUICE UP
i. Pomegranate Fruit: Cut a shallow cone on the lower end of the pomegranate and then slice off the bottom of the fruit. Then cut the fruit along its natural ridges and separate each section of the fruit to remove the seeds.

ii. Lemon Juice: Heat in microwave for 20 seconds, let it rest for a minute. Roll it around on the kitchen counter cut and squeeze or just puncture a hole on top squeeze as much required rest keep in the fridge.

3. STICKY FINGERS
i. Rice: To ensure that doesn’t stick together, add a few drops of lemon to remove to get single grains of rice.

ii. Puris: Keeping puris in the fridge for some time (10 -15 minutes) before frying, will ensure that they fluff up well when put in hot oil without absorbing too much of the oil.

Paranthas: Knead the dough with some milk, which will make your paranthas softer (like at restaurants).

4. TEARS IN HEAVEN
i. Any-time onions: From dipping them in water for 15 minutes or putting them in zip-lock pouches and freezing them for 10 minutes or to even chewing gum while cutting onions to prevent the age-old problem of watery eyes and ache.

ii. Browning the Onions: Caramelizing onions is time-consuming, but it really enhances the taste of every dish. Add a pinch of baking soda and salt to the onions to speed up the caramelization process, and have lovely caramelized onions for your dish.

Deviyani Srivastava